Musical instrument



June 30, 1936.

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Patented June 30, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Application July 15, 1931, Serial No. 550,987

13 Claims.

This invention relates more particularly to a musical instrument having a plurality of tone qualities synthetically built up of suitably chosen and graded partials, each partial being produced 5 in the air through the agency of a pulsated electromagnetic field including a movable member and a co-acting magnetizable member adapted to vibrate a sonorous element. It is not, however, restricted to such use, since the requisite pulsations may be produced through revolving commutators and brushes coacting therewith, such as disclosed in my Patent No. 1,733,630 and in my co-pending application Serial No. 545,611 filed June 19, 1931.

An important object of the invention is the production of a musical instrument of one or more manuals, which is relatively cheap, compact, and durable, exceedingly powerful, exceptionally diversified as to tone, and of unusual artistic capabilities.

Another important object of the invention is the production of an instrument having a plurality of manuals adapted to be simultaneously put under the command of a single player or of a plurality of players, thus in the latter case, multiplexing the instrument as it were. These manuals may be operated by a roll or mechanically, from a central console and by a single player. It is further possible to operate any one of the consoles or all of them, by rolls individual to each console with an operator for each roll or mechanical device for playing, the synchronization being left to the players or operators, as in ordinary playing.

A further important object of the invention is the provision of multiplexed sonorous members, each such member capable of responding at its own proper pitch when any one of a plurality of manuals is played, thus cheapening, simplifying, and greatly reducing the size of, the instrument.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of resonant means for the various octaves of the scale, especially adapted to the pitch and volume suited to that particular musical area of the instruments gamut.

Another object of the invention is the production of an instrument, comparable in facility to the great organ, which shall possess throughout a true tonality not only as to its primes but as to all its partials, each and every partial being separately produced under conditions particularly adapted to its own needs, and never sounding outside those conditions.

Still another object is the production of an instrument which, size for size, shall enormously excel the organ in volume, and which shall have as many tonal colors with greater facilities in their use, while possessing only a very small fraction of the parts necessary in organ practice. Furthermore, the instrument herein disclosed 5 is not sensitive to changes in temperature, and is free from tuning needs, up-keep difficulties, sluggishness of speech, impurities of tone, and inability to produce true soft tones.

In addition to the broader features of my invention there are special details of design and of structure, assembly, and co-action of parts which will be hereinafter explained.

An important object of my invention is to provide sensibly simple or fundamental tones having for each manual employed, the eighty-four pitches associated with a seven-octave scale tuned in equal temperament. Where cheapness and compactness are vital factors, these same eightyfour notes may also be used, not only for the pitch-giving primes of all the tones of the instrument, but also, suitably proportioned as to loudness, for all of the other partials contained in its many varied qualities or timbres. This is what I denominate my borrowing system, and is disclosed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 472,969, filed August 4, 1930, now Patent No. 1,- 899,884 dated February 28, 1933. It is used in the present case because of its extreme simplicity and cheapness of construction, coupled with a musical efficiency remarkable in so inexpensive an instrument. It should be understood, however, that in more elaborate instruments I prefer to use a non-borrowing system wherein the sounders used as primes are not at the same time used as upper partials, since this affords an even greater musical excellence albeit it is relatively more expensive and complex.

In musical instruments making use of a scale tuned in equal temperament, and depending for the musical pitches of such scale upon rotating members producing pulsations, all such pulsations, including those representing the wellknown incommensurate ratios subsisting between certain notes of each octave, can be se- 4 cured with an accuracy sufiicient for all practical purposes by the employment of rotating members having but six different rotative speeds for an instrument of a range of seven octaves. More rotating speeds may be used, and in some cases twelve have been used, but for simplicity and cheapness, the smallest feasible number of speeds of rotation is preferred. For this reason use is here made of the general plant set forth in said application Serial No. 472,969, it being understood that where, in this present application, more than six moving members are shown, there are still but six rotative speeds, some of said speeds representing the velocities of a plurality of moving members. These moving mem bers or rotors carry pulsation-producing toothed annuli, and are driven and governed in a manner essentially like that set forth in the aforementioned application.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic plan View of the driving and governing means for a three manual in. strument, the three lowest octaves of each manual being served by three differently-speeded rotors, each of the rotors serving any manual revolving at the identical speed of the equivalent rotor associated with the other two manuals;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, illustrating the grouping of the pipes about a rotor serving some of the lower notes of the instrument;

Fig, 3 is a diagrammatic plan view of one of the three treble rotors of the instrument, illustrating the general scheme of arrangement or grouping of some of its sounders;

Fig. 4 is an elevation, illustrating the same plan of grouping about the central rotor;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of certain details of a sounder particularly adapted to the lowest octave of the instrument;

Figs. 6 and 7 are respectively, a plan view broken away, and a side View, of a multiplexed sounder especially adapted to serve throughout the range of the second octave of the instrument;

Figs. 8 and 8a. are respectively side and plan views of a sounder intended to serve the third and fourth octaves of the instruments range, that is, to and including note No. 49, only those parts necessary to a clear understanding of the device being shown in Fig. 8;

Fig. 9 is a side view of a sounder and its resonator, especially well fitted to serve for the next octave of the instrument, that is, notes No. 50 to 61 inclusive;

Fig. 10 is a sectional side View of a sounder suited forthe next to the last octave of the instruments gamut;

Fig. 11 is a side view of a sounder suited to the highest octave of the instrument;

Fig. 12 is a side view of a key of the manual, illustrating the key-contact systems used in an instrument having a plurality of manuals;

Fig. 13 is a diagrammatic illustration of the wiring system associated with one of the manuals, including also the tremolo mechanism;

Fig. 14 is an elevation showing details of a three-manual tremolo commutator;

Fig. 15 is a diagrammatic view of a wiring scheme adapted to a three-manual instrument;

Fig. 16 is a diagrammatic View of the operative wiring system associated with the thirteenth key of each of the three manuals, together with the connections necessary to put two of these manuals in control of separate consoles and players for the purpose of multiplexing the instrument.

Fig. 17 is a front elevation of the main instrument and its three manuals adapted to control all the sounders when operated by one player, with a detachable console on either side capable, in each case, of controlling the sounders normally associated With one manual of the main instrument, as well as those other sounders which may be rendered operative through certain couplings of manuals.

Fig. 1 illustrates diagrammatically the placement of the rotors and the driving and governing mechanism for a three-manual instrument. It will be noted that the rotors serving the three lower octaves of the instrument are nine in number, the rotors for the groups of sonoro-us bodies indicated by the large numerals l, 2 and 3 serving, respectively, in these three lower octaves all the notes C, Ct, D and Di; all of the notes E, F, Ft and G; and all the notes Gt, A, Ali and B associated with one manual of the instrument as, for example, the second or middle manual. Similarly, the rotors for the groups of sonorous bodies indicated by the large numerals l, 5 and ii serve, respectively, the same notes of the three lower octaves of another manual, as for example, the upper manual; while the rotors for the groups of sonorous bodies indicated by the large numerals I, 8 and 9 similarly serve, respectively, the same notes of the remaining manual of the instrument.

Instruments of this type are conveniently divided into operative and speaking sections, and Fig. l is mainly concerned with the speaking part of the instrument. As the driving mechanism shown in this figure is clearly set forth and described in application Serial No. 472,969 above mentioned, and the governing mechanism is d scribed and claimed in my co-pending application Ser. No. 371,211 filed June 15, 1929, (now Patent No. 1,911,326, dated May 30, 1933), only brief treatment of them is necessary here. A motor it drives the belt pulley it through the agency of geared mechanism provided with a variable slippage factor consisting of a copper annulus i2 capable of retardation by the inductive action of the braking magnets. 53, i l, the one constant and the other intermittent, the intermittent magnet being controlled by a centrifugal contact finger i5, and relay i6 and associated parts.

From the under side of the pulley ii a belt I! passes about the large pulley i8, thence under the adjustable, belt-tensioning idler i9 and about the large pulley 20. From the pulley 29 said belt I! passes to the larger pulley 25, from which it passes about the pulley 22, thence about the angularly placed idler 2.3 and back to the upper side of pulley H, thus completing the circuit. This arrangement serves to give correctly timed rotation to the three rotors driven by the pulleys 20, 2|, and 22, said rotors serving the four upper octaves of the instrument throughout its three manuals, for since the sounders for the higher pitches are so much smaller than those for the bass octaves, it is convenient to place about each of the three high speed rotors all of the sounders associated with that rotative speed which are used in the thrice-produced scale of a three manual instrument. In the three lower octaves, with their Very much larger sounders, a similar grouping about three rotors is not convenient unless the largest sounders at least, are multiplexed, and in Fig. 1, for clearer showing, I have preferred to show a separate sounder for each of the three notes C, each of the three notes Ct, and so on throughout the lower three octaves of the instrument.

It should be understood, however, that where cheapness and compactness are sufiiciently controlling factors, both may be obtained by the employment for the instruments lowest notes of the multiplexed sounders therefor which will be described later. The lay-out shown in Fig. 1 therefore comprises nine rotors for the three lower octaves of a three manual instrument, while the four upper octaves thereof are served throughout the three manuals by the employment of three rotors only. The three rotative speeds of the nine bass rotors shown are one-fourth those of the corresponding treble rotors, and as clearly set forth in my said companion application Serial No. 472,969, each rotor bears pulsation-producing annuli adapted to generate at each revolution, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, or twice, four, or eight times such numbers of pulsations, thus producing, with the six rotative speeds, all the vibrational frequencies of seven octaves of a scale tuned in equal temperament.

In order to get the slower speeds necessary for the three lower octaves, a belt 24 passes from a pulley 25 to the rotor pulley 26 in the upper row of rotor pulleys, thence about an idler 21 and leftward to an adjustable, belt-tensioning idler 28. From the under side of idler 28 belt 24 passes about the pulley 29 of the rotor for group 5 in the middle of said upper row, and thence to the top of pulley 30 of the rotor for group 8 of said upper row. The belt 24 then passes to the pulley 3I of the rotor for group 1 in the middle row, from which it passes to the pulley 32 of the rotor for group 9 in the lower row; thence to the pulley 33 of the rotor for group 4 in the middle row; thence to the pulley 34 of the rotor for group 6 of the lower row; thence to the pulley for the rotor of group I; and thence to pulley 35 of the rotor for group 3 of the lower row, from the bottom of which it passes to the bottom of the small pulley 25, thus completing its circuit.

The resonant tubes of the sounders associated with the rotor of group I are indicated at 36, 31, 38, 39, 40, 4|, 42, and 43. It is to be understood, however, that this showing could just as well represent either of the other two groups in this middle row, since they are all identical, merely serving identical notes of different manuals. Four electromagnets 44, 45, 4t, and 41 are associated with sounders 36, 38, 40, and 42, the electromagnets associated with the other four sounders being shown as broken away. The cores of said magnets project into close proximity to pulsation-producing annuli 48 carried by the shaft 49, one of which is shown but without teeth or wave forms owing to the smallness of its size and the fact that all these details are so clearly set forth in my companion applications before mentioned. They will also be briefly referred to again in connection with Figs. 3 and 7 hereof. A belt .50 extends from the pulley 25 to the tremolo-actuating pulley 5|, more clearly shown in Figs. 13 and 14.

As set forth in application Ser. No. 472,969, the sizes of the pulleys are so planned with reference to the driving speed that the shafts carrying the lowest notes C of the instrument shall rotate at 121.25 R. P. M. (see group 4), while the shaft cargroup 5), and the treble shaft carrying the notes E rotates at 611.0617, while the bass shafts carrying the notes Git rotate at 192.4723 R. P. M. (see group 3), and the treble shaft carrying the notes Gt rotates at 768.8895 R. P. M.

In Fig. 2 the rotor or shaft 49 associated with group I of the sounders is shown in dotted lines, the pulsation-producing annuli 48 carried by said rotor being also shown in dotted lines throughout most of its length. The electromagnets 45, 41 are likewise shown in dotted lines with their cores opposing someof the lower annuli on rotor 49. As shown in this figure, the resonant tube or sounder 36, as indicated by the numeral I preceded by the letter N, is designed to give forth note number I; sounder 31, note number I4; sounder 38, note number 3; sounder 42, note number 2; and sounder 43, note number I3. Shorter resonant tubes 52, 53, associated with notes number 25 and number 26, that is, note C of 129.33 vibrations per second and Ci of 137.02 vibrations per second, are likewise seen in this figure. The rotor 49 turns at 121.25 R. P. M., and carries all the notes C, Ct, D and Di of the three lower 00- taves of the instrument commanded by one manual of the key-board. The two other rotors associated with the same vibrational frequencies of the two other manuals of the instrument are identical with this and turn at the same speed. These three rotors of the middle row of the bass are so essentially like those of the other two rows serving the higher letters of the musical octave throughout the bass section of the three manuals, that no further consideration of them is deemed necessary. The resonant tubes are somewhat shorter and, as will be observed in Fig. 1, somewhat smaller of diameter as the pitches rise. The resonant tubes 39, 49, and 4| of group I are associated respectively with note number I6, note number 4 and note number I5.

Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate in diagrammatic plan and in elevation, respectively, the grouping of the sounders about the treble rotor 54 revolving at 611.0617 R. P. M., said rotor carrying all the notes E, F, Ft and G of the four upper octaves of the three manuals of the instrument, each note number shown in the drawings appearing three times, or once for each manual of the instrument. This is made possible without resort to multiplexing sounders by reason of the fact that the higher pitches of the last four octaves can properly be served by much smaller resonant members. An annulus 55 with a small portion of its periphery dentated to illustrate the method of its coaction with the dentated head of the core 56 serving note 4 I, as illustrated in Fig. 3. It is to be understood that the wave-forms or dentation of the annuli may be of any desired conformation, and may well vary even in the one instrument as between different sections thereof. To avoid annuli of undesirably large diameter and of objectionably high speeds of rotation where compactness is a vital consideration, it has been found desirable to use a wave-form so-call'ed, having active portions or teeth somewhat resembling those of gears, but preferably with spaces between them occupying much greater peripheral extent than is occupied by the teeth or active portions themselves. It is also advantageous to curve or let off the peripheries of the teeth upon an arc of less radius than that of the annulus, all as set forth in my aforesaid applications. Where a tonal result characterized by sinewave type of vibration is desired, I find it convenient where space and size are to be minimized, still to retain the gear-like type of active tooth, rounded as mentioned, and further to modify the result by the flexibly elastic member 51 or some equivalent, as will be shown in later figures hereof; by weighting to round somewhat the takehold and let-go; and by the use, in most instances, of resonators as shown herein. In this manner sensibly sine-wave simple tones are secured through the agency of annuli of practicable size even where an annulus carries several scores of teeth or wave-forms. It is distinctly to be understood, therefore, that I do not confine myself to any particular shape of dentation or wave-form of the annuli, as that may be varied to suit conditions as aforesaid.

In Fig. 3 notes numbered 41, 42, 43 and 44 are thrice exhibited, once for each manual of the instrument, their tubular resonators 58 extending upward as shown in elevation in Fig. 4. Below these notes are seen at 59 the radially outward ends of the shorter and diiferent type of resonators used for the thrice exhibited notes ,marked on the drawings N-53, N-54, N and N56. It will of course be understood that this rotor 54 serves notes not possible to show clearly in the drawings, each treble rotor of a three manual instrument of this type caring for sixteen notes thrice represented, or forty-eight in all. The housings it for the electromagnetic solenoids are indicated in dotted lines, the fiexible support 5 1 for the radially outward end of a core carrying the plunger El' co -acting with the opposed resonator being likewise shown in dotted lines. These members may be supported in any suitable manner, no such supports being here illustrated since it would unnecessarily complicate the showing of this figure. In Fig. 4 the annuli 55 are shown partly in dotted lines, all of said annuli in this figure being without wave forms or dentation.

Fig. 5 illustrates a resonant tube Si suitable for use in connection with the lowest bass of the instrument. This resonator, where compactness is a considerable factor, may be multiplexed in the same manner as the sounders illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7. It is desirable that the lowest notes of an instrument shall have not only very great volume, but also that they shall be capable of marked loudness of utterance, and this construction is directed to this feature. A diaphragm 62 of plunger type is suitably stifiened by ribs 63, and is elastically held in the casting he by an annulus or disk of leather or other suitable material, securely clamped to said casting by an annulus 56 screwed thereto. The flexibly elastic members El, 83 which carry the plunger G2 are shown broken away, and their functions will be fully described in connection with Figs. 6 and '7 It will be noted that the casting 64 forms as it were a perforated floor for the pipe iii, the upper side of the floor being flat and in a horizontal plane, while the under surface with its opening 6! presents the conformation of the frustrum of an extremely obtuse cone, the purpose being to make as eflicient a pumping mechanism as possible. The ribbed and leather-hung plunger 62 swinging upon the members 6?, 68, and two other similar members not appearing in this figure, moves not as an ordinary diaphragm having its maximum motion in the center, but rather as a plunger with an equally wide movement throughout its area, thus producing a very great effect upon the air. The perforated floor til is shaped and placed so as to permit the most perfect evacuation of air feasible upon the lip-stroke, the slant of its lower side serving to prevent any choking action as the air from the outside area is forced into the smaller superficial area near the opening. This results in a pronounced amplification of action and increase of loudness, a most desirable attainment in the case of the lower notes of the instrument, say from numbers l to 83 inclusive.

Referring now to Figs. 6 and 7 which show the same structure, the rotor 49 for group 1 of the bass sounders and an annulus it carried by the same are here illustrated, a portion of said annulus being dentated as shown opposite the den= tated portion 69 of the co-acting core. As shown in my companion applications, and as indicated in connection with the description of Fig. 3 hereof, wave-forms or tooth-like dentations of any desired shape may be employed according to the special exigencies of the case. The resonant pipe 5 l plunger 52, and ribs 63 are also seen in Fig. 7. Bent metallic springs 61, 68, H3, and H, broadest at the ends fastened to the pipe-supporting casting 65 and tapering toward their opposite ends, are secured in a somewhat interleaved fashion to the central stud i4, this construction assuring the toandfro motion of plunger 62. To the inner end of stud l4 and within the tube, a variable weight l5, shown in dotted lines in Fig. '7, serves to bring the whole system somewhere near resonance as well as to soften, as aforesaid, the sharpness of the pluck of the energized core when traversed by the teeth of an annulus leaning in type toward those of a gear. This weight may be placed at any convenient part of the system, but, where room permits, it is well to have it intimately associated with the plunger, either inside or out.

A magnet rail 76 normally carrying three solenoidal magnets T3, the central magnet being omitted in Fig. 6 but shown in section in Fig. '7, is supported at E8 as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. '7, the supports l8 being secured to the further side of the tube-supporting casting by screws is. In Fig. 6 both the magnet-rail '76 and the rotor 59 are broken away better to show the structure and action of a pivoted arm 80 upon the outermost bent metallic spring 10, said arm being secured to said spring 10 at 81 by a link 82, the leverages being so planned that a given movement of its associated core shall give plunger 62 exactly the same traverse as will be given it by the same movement of either of the other cores acting upon it. This pivoted arm 88 rocks at 83 between bearings 84 of the casting 85 secured at 86 to a boss 8? integral with the tube-supporting casting 64. The ring or annulus 66 securely screwed to the main casting with the plungersupporting leather gasket E55 between it and said casting, is likewise shown in Fig. '7. A trunnioned member 89 rocks about a pivot 90, the threaded inner end of core 9! passing freely through this member, but being prevented from reciprocation by the lock-nuts 92 which serve to adjust the core nearer to or farther from its associated annulus for purposes of voicing. Spiders 93 having corrugated arms elastically support the dentated or rotor-end 69 of the cores 9! so that they may reciprocate freelywithout contacting their surrounding solenoidal tubes. Disks 94 (Fig. 6), which may well be of aluminum or brass, serve to cover the chambered portions of the magnet-rail occupied by the magnets, the free space 95 (Fig. '7) being usually filled with plaster of Paris or some suitable substance serving both to hold the bobbin rigidly and better to connect it thermally with the rest of the rail while electrically insulating it therefrom. This promotes cooling and keeps the solenoids more efficient, a method of procedure clearly shown in Fig. 10. Washers 96 are placed beneath the radially outermost ends of the spider-arms 93, through which and the disks 94 the spider arms are secured to the mag- F net-rail, their inner ends being securely fastened to and beneath the expanded core head as clearly shown in Fig. 7.

The parts omitted from Fig. 5 are identical with the corresponding parts of Figs. 6 and 7, 75

but it will be noted that in Figs. 6 and 7 the resonant tube has no perforated fioor but is stopped by the bodily-moving plunger 62, so that any amplification of the tone in this instance is due to the fact that the leverages are so planned that the plunger 62, as shown, moves about two and a half times the distance traversed by the cores associated with it.

Referring to the two spidered cores 9| shown in Fig. 6, it will be seen that the ends of the cores farthest removed from the co-acting annuli reach the flexibly elastic tapered members with which they are associated, and to which they are fastened, at a point to yield about the aforesaid magnification of movement, while the doubly compounded motion of the system associated with the arm 89 is such as to produce the same enlargement. The annulus 48 of Fig. 6, while the nearest to the observer of all the objects of the figure, is shown in dotted lines to avoid obscuring important members beneath it. The plungercarrying annulus 65 of leather, rubber, or other suitable material is also seen in Fig. 6.

The type of sounder seen in Figs. 6 and '7 is that which I find suitable for a range of the bass of the instrument extending from about note number M to note number inclusive, and the pipe being multiplexed as shown, it may well be of large diameter and of great volume.

It will be seen from Figs. 5, 6 and '7 that while there are four elastically flexible, tapered, plunger-carrying members 51, 68, Ill, and H only three of them are energized by magnets when the greatest possible power is demanded. This foursupport system, however, brings the active arms in better relation to the rotor than would a threearm system. The three magnets as shown are in line, though the center one is omitted in Fig. 6, better to show what lies beneath it. The resonators associated with notes numbers 26 and above, are of a size which will ordinarily permit the grouping of three of each note number, one

for each manual, about their respective rotors, 7

even where difierent manuals are not served in the bass by different rotors, as illustrated in Fig. 1 merely for the sake of clearness of showing.

The operation of the multiplexed pipes shown in Figs. 6 and '7 is as follows:

The three bent metallic springs 61, 68, and H! are capable of energization by the magnets whose cores are attached to them either directly or through the pivoted arm 80, and the inner ends of all four bent metallic springs are connected to the central stud M of the plunger forming the reciprocating floor of the resonator tube. When, therefore, the pressure of a key of a manual, as for instance, key number [3 of the first manual, acts through the operative system to energize its associated magnet, the result will be that the co-acting core will be attracted and released by the alternate passage of relatively near and relatively remote portions of the revolving annulus opposing it. These motions will be transmitted through the associated bent, metallic spring to the plunger floor of the resonant tube, thus causing said tube to emit its proper note with an amount of loudness proportional to the amount of current flowing in the energizing coil about the active magnet-core. If at the same time,

the same note, number l3, of either or both the other manuals be pressed, care having been taken that the centers of the teeth of all cores thus associated in the multiplexing of a sounder shall simultaneously pass the centers of the teeth of their co-acting annuli, the associated core or cores will be energized proportionally to the current flowing about them. The associated bent metallic spring or springs will then transmit the energy to the plunger, the result being that the plunger will make longer excursions the more power it receives.

As the energizing solenoidal magnets of a multiplexed pipe are each upon a circuit controlled by a separate manual, it will be seen that a pipe so multiplexed may perform all the functions of three pipes speaking at the one pitch and controlled by three separate manuals, for the use one manual is making of a pipe is no bar to any desired simultaneous use of the same pipe in response to pressure of the corresponding key of another manual.

Considering now Figs. 8 and 8a, which are two views of the same structure, Fig. 8a showing only such parts as are necessary to a full interpretation of Fig. 8, the housing 12 for the solenoidal magnet Tl (shown in dotted lines), is provided with a flange seen at 12a. The metallic C-spring 91 is screwed to this flange, and to the free end of said spring is fastened the casting 98 carrying at the rightward end the ribbed circular plunger 62 adapted to beat air into the resonant tube 6!. This plunger is secured to the casting 98 by a threaded stud 99 carrying weighting washers I90 of lead or other material, secured between two nuts llll. It is to be understood that while a system of vibration which is more or less forced requires nothing for its mechanical movement in the way of weighting or tensioning which would satisfy the exacting needs of musical tuning, yet, notwithstanding this rather wide workable latitude, the nearer true resonance is reached in a system, the greater will be its efficiency and the less forcing it will need, a fact which explains one important reason for using weights and proportioning the springs to the work in hand. The resonator tube 6| while it will respond throughout a rather wide range from the standpoint of tuning accuracy, should be proportioned with care to the pitch of the note it produces, in order that its utterance may be sensibly perfect. This system of tone production must not be confused with organ practice where the pitch as well as the quality of the tone is determined by'the pipe, for here the pitch is determined outside the pipe, and the quality is made in an entirely new manner. If the resonator does not suit the pitch delivered to it, it will have to be forced, and will speak less and less efiiciently the more it has to be forced.

A screw 88 -(Fig. 8) is threaded into the lower end of core 9!, which is slit for a little more than the distance of the thread in order to prevent possible rattling. This screw 88 passes freely through the swinging member 102 which is pivoted upon threaded centers formed on the screw I03 adjustably and securely held in the casting 98 by the check-nuts IM. A threaded thumb-wheel I05 together with a nut I06, serves to position and secure the screw 88 relative to the swinging member I02 and the casting 98, thus serving to adjust the core 91 with regard to its co-acting annulus (not shown in Figs. 8 and 8a) It will be noted that the casting 98 serves both as an amplifying extension for the C-spring 91, and as the major part of the weight necessary to ease off the attack and let-go where a gearlike form of annulus-tooth is used and an approximately sine-wave form of result desired at the plunger 62. Where this is secured the resonator will do the rest, delivering a full and beautifully formed simple tone. This type of sounder, with its relatively large resonator and considerable amplification, is well suited to meet the requirements of the highest of the three bass octaves of the instrument, as well as the lowest of the four treble octaves, covering in all notes No. 26 to No. 49 inclusive, the plunger and resonator sizes being progressively diminished as the pitches rise.

In Fig. 9, 12 indicates the housing of the solenoid; 9| the core which as seen at 69, has five dentations or wave-forms where Fig. 8 shows but three, while Fig. 11 shows six, the explanation being that, as the pitch of notes rises, the wave-forms or teeth are more numerous and nearer together, thus permitting more teeth within the normal space of an enlarged magnethead. The spiders 93 shown and described in connection with Figs. 6 and 7, and seen also in Fig. 8, are likewise illustrated in Fig. 9. A bent metallic spring I88, preferably of soft steel that it may not retain magnetism, yet may afi'ord a good path for the return lines of force, is secured at its ends to the longitudinally-extended flange 12 of housing I2, the mid-portion of said spring being secured to the lower end of core 9| which passes through the riveted portion I99, and into the central stud of the ribbed plunger 62. An adjustable weight III] is attached to the core for purposes already clearly set forth. A resonator BI is shown broken away, to indicate that it may be of any desired length suitable to the different notes served by the various sounders of this type, which type I find well adapted to notes numbered 53 to SI inclusive. The spring 198 is held at both ends, thus making it somewhat less resilient and better suited to vibrations ranging from 548.07 to 1034.61 per second. The notes being of relatively high pitch, do not require a loudness which necessitates mechanical amplification.

Referring now to Fig. 10, the housing 12 for the solenoidal magnet TI is shown as embedded in an insulating material 95, as previously mentioned in connection with Fig. '7. The core 9|, spider 93, and associated parts are also illustrated in Fig. 10, the core head 59 in this instance carrying five narrow teeth intended to oppose an annulus with the considerable number of teeth necessary for so high a pitch as this type, of sounder is designed to serve. The flange I2 of housing I2 is circular in plan, and is adapted to receive the circular and annularly and concentrically grooved member III which is firmly clamped, diaphragm-wise, between said flange I2 and the metal retaining ring 73, which may be of lead so that it may damp the peripheral vibration of the grooved member, concentrating the same, as much as possible, at the thickened innermost area carrying at its center the reduced and threaded end II2 of the magnet core. Metallic washers H3 permit the nut IIG to bind the said innermost area firmly between itself and the shoulder of the magnet core. H5 indicates disk laminae used for weighting, and secured to the core end M2 by a nut H6. The grooved member III may be of any suitable material, but I have found a good grade of maple to serve excellently Where a simple fundamental tone is desired, as in this case, for even were there faint upper partials, they would be so evanescent as not to be objectionable where wood is used. To ensure the necessary fundamental quality, the member II I is left thick at its center that it may vibrate as a plunger, rather than breaking up as a diaphragm might do. This type of sounder is excellent for notes extending from No. 62 to No. I3 inclusive. As these pitches are so high, resonators may ordinarily be entirely dispensed with, the area of the vibrating member I H furnishing volume quite suflicient for tones which are so incisive.

Fig. 11 shows a construction similar to that of Fig. 10, the magnet flange I2 being entirely circular in plan but much smaller, and a relatively short, six-toothed magnet-core 9I suitable to the highest pitches of the instrument being illustrated. The lower end of this core is shouldered and thrust through a diaphragm Hi, to which it is securely attached by the nut I I3, the weighting laminae H5 and securing nut H6 being also shown. The diaphragm H1 is of any suitable material, a ring H9 which may well be of metal as soft iron, being provided to facilitate return lines of force. Screws I29 clamp diaphragm II! in place. By making the diaphragm of soft steel the resistance of the magnetic circuit will be greatly lessened, permanent magnetization being avoided, while any upper partials that might be present are so high in pitch as to cause no inconvenience whatever. This type of sounder is designed for the highest octave of the instrument, that is, from notes No. 74 to No. 84. These pitches, the lowest of which represents 2,192.26 vibrations per second, are so acute as to require a relatively small volume to enable them musically to balance the lowest notes of the instrument, so that the diaphragm of small diameter is of suiiicient area, due reference being had to the scale used in the drawings which, in the case of Fig. 11 is approximately one-half size, though I do not of course, limit myself to particular sizes, actual or relative.

Fig. 12 illustrates a slightly modified form of the key-action shown in my companion application, Serial No. 472,969 and described in detail therein. The key-bed IZI is provided with longitudinally extending raised portions I22, I23,- from which pins I24, I25 extend upwardly and serve to position or space the keys with regard to each other, in the well-known manner. The essential difference between this figure and the construction of the companion application just referred to is the additional multi-contact block and its associated parts, made necessary because of the plurality of manuals used with the present instrument. A white key of the manual is indicated at I26, the felted key-strip I28 limiting the upward movement of the keys under the urgency of spring I 27. A projection having a screw-eye passed through it, and an adjusting leather nut, are provided at the rear of each key for the purpose of tensioning spring I 21, the lower end of said spring being looped about a slanting notched dowel l2! glued into the rear of the key-bed.

Tongue springs I28, I29 are screwed to said key, these springs being regulated as to their degree of depression by the adjustable screws I39, the shouldered lower ends of said screws passing through the key as shown. Multi-contact blocks ISI are screwed to the key-bed beneath each key, each block being grooved to fit over longitudinally extending positioning strips I32, I32 which serve to keep pressed upward in passive position the wire tongues I33 serving as contact members. Current is supplied by cables I35 to the wires passing through the wiring strips I34.

A continuous metal strip I34 serves as a common lead or return, as the case may be, since it is immaterial which purpose it serves if other conditions are suitably adjusted. The contact wires from tongues I33 are bent upwardly at their righthand ends to facilitate wiring into the cables I or onto the continuous strip i34 One similarly disposed wire of each block I3I is joined to said strip as seen in Fig. 12, the connection being parted to avoid confusion in the drawing and the open ends thereof being indi cated at I34 I34 respectively.

The tongue springs I28, I29, each carry at their lowermost ends a contacting strip I93, I9 3, preferably of silver, long enough, transversely to the keys, to bridge safely all of the associated contacts I33 lying beneath them, to the number of four in each case, as clearly shown in connection with the five broken-away keys of Fig. 16. Of these two systems of four contacts, one contact in each case serves as a common return as described in said companion application, the other three contacts in each case being wired to the other sides of appropriate magnets in the operative system as later described. The essential point in connection with Fig. 12 is that in this instrument each of the keys of each of the manuals is provided with eight contact-systems, two of which are used as returns.

Fig. 13 illustrates in its upper portion what is termed the partial-mixing system, as applied to a single manual and its associated speaking magnets, each as shown and described in my copending application Serial No. 472,969, but in this instance the tremolo system for a single manual has been added to render more easily understood the system applicable to a plurality of manuals as shown in Fig. 14. I36 (Fig. 13) indicates the speaking magnets, each of said magnets having associated with it the number of the note of the gamut which it controls. Thus the extreme left-hand magnet I36 in this figure controls note #I I, the magnet to the right thereof, note #I2, the next magnet to the right, note #I3, and so on. Associated with each pair of magnets I36 is a resistance I38. The bar I31, assumed in this showing to be movable transversely of its length, affords means for positioning the contact tongues I38 along the resistance coils I38, thus diagrammatically representing the electrical result attained by the various partial-rockers indicated at I39.

In the center of Fig. 13 are three vertical rows of block-like members with ten blocks in each row, placed wide apart to permit showing the wiring, the central row of said blocks being doubly tipped with silver so that the blocks may contact properly on both sides. The left-hand row of ten contacts in Fig. 13 is brought into electrical connection with the opposing co-acting surfaces of the central row of contacts when key #IB of the manual is pressed and the partialrocker I39 representing the first partial is in operative position. Similarly, the right-hand row of ten contacts is brought into electrical connection with the opposing co-acting surfaces of the central row of contacts when key #M of the manual is pressed. Since a seventh partial is omitted in this instrument as shown, a graded sub-octave taking its place, and because it is more orderly to start the moving contacts with the sub, it will be noted that the first partial is crowded up to the second moving contact in each row. It will be seen, therefore, that each speaking magnet I36 (which in shop practice is always designated by the number of the key of the manual normally causing it to speak when such key is pressed) is wired, as shown, from its nearer pole to the second contact of the associated side of a double relay bearing said manual notenumber, such double relay bearing a number in accordance with the control of its two actuating magnets by two separate adjacent keys of the manual, as fully explained in my co-pending application, Serial No. 472,969.

In order to make clearer the showing of Fig. 13, directions for the wiring of each contact have been noted opposite the outside contacts of the double relay. It will thus be seen that every such contact save only the second in each outside row, invariably sends a wire to an outside second contact of some other double relay, which is always treated with regard to its numbers in such wiring as if it were two single relays of adjacent numbers. To make it clear to which relay the second of each of these contacts is wired, the note number, which is to say the relay number, is indicated on the drawings, together with the letter of the octave representing the note and the number of vibrations normally elicited by the pressure of the similarly numbered key of the manual. For example, considering the left side of the double relay in question, which is designated Relay #I3, the contact marked 2 is for a prime or first partial having 64.663 vibrations per second, represented on the manual by the note C. The next contact marked 3, therefore, will be for the second partial which, being of twice the number of vibrations, represents the note C an octave higher having 129.326 vibrations per second, and associated with the twenty-fifth note of the manual. This third contact will accordingly be wired to the second moving contact of relay #25, the outside rows of contacts of a double relay being thus referred to as moving. All of the other contacts of the outside rows are similarly wire-d, it being obvious that in the case of the double relay #IS, #IG, the numbers applying to relay #IE will be just one number higher than those applying to relay #M in similar cases. The same procedure will apply to relay #IS so that the entire relay wiring of the instrument may be set down from a consideration of what obtains in the case of one relay, even though it were not a double one.

In the central row of contact tongues in Fig. 13 each of said tongues is to be understood as wired, though not so shown in the drawing, to two adjacent notes upon its associated partialmixing rocker I39, after the manner clearly set forth in my co-pending application Ser. No.

472,969. For example, the tongue marked Sub in the drawings has a wire I40 leading to a rheostat MI of the particular partial-rocker reserved for this su forty-two wires I40 being provided for an eighty-four note instrument, as indicated in the drawing. From the central contact marked 5 a wire I32 leads to a rheostat MI, the other end of said resistance being connected to a contact tongue I43 serving upon the fifth partial rocker, the forty-first and forty-second notesof the manual. It will be observed that there is another fifth partial rocker I33 and another resistance I 53 in parallel with the resistance I93 serving the partial rocker just described, and these two resistances may be of any desired ohmic value. If, therefore, the first described fifth partial-rocker be actuated, the loudness of the fifth partials will be determined by the ohmage of the resistances I43, while if rocker IE9 is actuated, the resistances I 43 will determine the loudness. If both these rockers be actuated together, still another loudness will result from the simultaneous use of the two resistances and the two rockers, as will readily be seen, three different loudnesses of the fifth partial with two rockers and their associated resistances being thus obtained.

This mechanism, by means of which any desired number of differences of loudness may be given to any partial, is fully described in my copending application, Serial No. 472,969, and is only set forth here to make the showing more complete.

The tremolo commutator-pulley 5i is suitably propelled as shown in Fig. 1, brushes I46, I45 bearing upon the commutator, which serves as elsewhere described, electrically to connect and disconnect the tips of said brushes alternately, so that when the tremolo knee-swell I46 is pressed rightwardly a resistance, inversely proportionate to the degree of the pressure, shall connect said brushes irrespective of the angular position of the commutator upon which their rightward ends rest. The result is that when section I 41 of said commutator passes under the brushes they are short-circuited and the resistance of the line at this point rendered negligible, while, when the commutator reaches the position shown in the figure, the resistance of such portion of the coil I 38 as the movement of the knee-swell does not cut out, will be inserted into the line at this point. The knee-swell M6 is positively positioned against a stop I49 by a spring I 58, which causes the bifurcated brush IEI having one prong somewhat longer than the other, to rest wholly upon insulation at the right-hand end of drum I52 carrying the coil I 48, this coil being traversed by brush I 5! when the kneeswell is operated. The pronged brush I5I is carried by a flat slidable bar I53 running in graphited felt bushings, said bar having secured to its leftward end a flexible wire connection I5 3. Another connecting wire I 55 is secured to the leftward end of the helix or coil M8, this wire being suitably secured to the box containing the drum I52 by a binding post or equivalent means. A link I 55 serves to connect bar I53 with the innermost extremity of the rod of knee-swell I46.

A flexible contact spring I51 is secured to the left end of the box which houses the resistance drum I52, the left end of helix I48 and of wire being secured to this contact spring. To insure perfect and correctly timed contact, the contacting end of spring I51 is adjusted relative to its co-acting contact by a screw I58 passed through an opening in the spring. An angularly bent member I59 is secured to the slidable bar I53, and pushes the flexible contact I51 slightly to the right as member I59 contacts with said tongue under the action of spring I50, thus shutting off the tremolo upon the removal of the players knee, and cutting out the resistance helix irrespective of the position of the revolving tremolo commutator.

The alternate high and low resistance of the line at this point produces a shake or tremolo in the tone, more or less pronounced according to the position of the knee-swell. It is to be understood that in the three manual instrument forming the basis of this application, Fig. 13 applies to each of its manuals, except that the three tremolo commutators may well be on the same shaft and propelled by one pulley. This arrangement is illustrated in Fig. 14, where the manuals are indicated by the Roman numerals I, II, III, and three pairs of brushes I I I, I45 associated with the three commutators, are shown.

Fig. 15 illustrates diagrammatically the speaking magnets and their associated parts, as described in my co-pending application Serial No. 472,969, rendered applicable to a three manual instrument. The speaking magnets I36 are associated with the first manual of the instrument, while the magnets IfiIl .are associated with the operative system of the same manual. The magnets Itfi new are associated respectively with the speaking and operative systems of the second manual of the instrument, while the magnets H56 Ibil are associated with the speaking and operative systems of the third manual of the instrument. The common bars I31, resistances I38, contacts I38 and associated parts, serve to illustrate the action of the expression-control systems of the three manuals, these being but reduplications of that shown and clearly described in detail in my companion application, Serial No. 472,969. To avoid a confusion of wires, only the circuits of the speaking magnets are fully shown, those of the magnets of the operative systems being indicated by the plus and minus signs. These magnets are those associated with the same four keys, as for example I3, #I4, #I5, and #Ifi, of each of the three manuals, and as shown at ItiI the speaking magnets are connected together in pairs on one side. Similarly, the central relay contact I62 of each relay serves for both members of its pair of associated speaking magnets, as clearly set forth in my aforesaid companion application. Manual keys I63, I64 of each of the three manuals representing notes I 3 and #I I are associated in a pair in each case as aforesaid. The pedal keys I65, I66 correspond to keys I 3 and I I of each of the three manuals when the instrument is multiplexed as shown here and in Figs. 16 and 17. The outside relay contacts I61, Its are connected respectively to one side of speaking magnets I36, forming a pair. As shown in Fig. 13 the relay contacts I62, I61, I 58 are but three of a contact system having for each relay thirty contacts, that is, three rows of contacts as shown, but ten deep in a direction not convenient to show in this view.

The electrical placement of the three tremolo systems is schematically shown at I69, I10, I1I, each of said devices being essentially like that shown in Fig. 13 with slight modification as indicated in Fig. 14. The partial resistances I4I are more fully shown in Fig. 13, this figure being scarcely more that a multiplication of the system applicable to a single manual of the instrument, with the addition of keys for pedal bass. I12 indicates a source of current and I13 a wire leading from the negative pole thereof. A wire I14 leads from the positive pole of said source and branches into three wires before entering the tremolo systems. Positive wires I15, I16, I11 emerge from the tremolo system and pass respectively to the three common wires I18, I19, I89 of the three partial rocker systems serving the three manuals.

The operation of the system is as follows: suppose key #I3 of manual I be pressed, causing the contact point I 8! to close with its co-acting contact I 82, thus passing negative current to the relay magnet I5II marked N I3, whose other pole is connected to the positive side of the electrical source of energy. This energizes magnet I60 of circuit via the partial resistance the operative system and causes the contact I61 associated therewith, in common with the nine others in the same row but not shown, to con-.

tact with the central row of contacts I62 of which only one (associated with this relay) appears in the drawings. Current then flows from source I'I'Z through wire I'I3 to the expression-control member I33 associated with the common bar I31 for manual I; thence through the resistance to the branching circuit at I 6 I, whence wires lead to speaking magnets I36 associated respectively with notes #IB and #M of the first manual. As only the contact block I67 associated with the upper magnet I36 is electrically co-acting with its associated central contact, from which the rest of the MI, contact member I83, common Wire H8 and wire H5 back to source H2, is supplied, only the note associated with the speaking magnet for note I3 of the first manual sounds, which it does with a quality de termined by the mixing system, and a loudness determined by the expression-control system. If, now, the pedal bass key I66 associated with note #IS of manual I be pressed, negative cur rent fiows from it across the contacts I04, I05, to the self-same magnet I69 of the operative system, the other pole of which is wired to the positive side of the source of current. This energizes said magnet I60, which then acts precisely as before and with the same result. Fig. 13 embodies a schematic representation of a system based upon the use of the multiple relay shown in Fig. 22 of said companion application Ser. No. 472,969. It is obvious, of course, that the type of relay shown at Fig. of that application might be used, but for compactness and cheapness of construction I ordinarily prefer the multiple type herein indicated.

Referring now to Fig. 16, I86 indicates a portion of manual key #I3 of a single-manual detachable console designed and adapted, at will, to take the place of manual I of the main threemanual instrument, permitting the operation thereof by a separate player. Ifil indicates a portion of manual key #I3 of asingle-manual detachable console designed and adapted, at will, to take the place of manual III of the main threemanual instrument, permitting the operation of the third manual by a separate player. Jackknife or multiple connectors I88, I89, join the single manual consoles to the operative systems associated with the corresponsive manuals in the main instrument. It is obvious that manual II could also be played at a distance from the main console by adding the necessary connections to that end.

To understand clearly the multiplexing system herein described, it should be borne in mind that the manipulating of any of the three manuals of the main instrument energizes appropriate portions of its associated operative system, which system then acts upon the speaking system to cause it to produce the tonal results desired. It is only necessary, therefore, to introduce parallel or equivalent circuits from the keys of the appropriate detachable multiplexing manual to the proper portions of the operative system associated with the same manual in the main instrument, in order to produce by the manipulation of the separate, detachable manual, tonal results identical with those which would be similarly 'attained by playing the corresponding manual of the main instrument. In the attainment of this end it is only necessary to close the multiple connectors I88, I89, or their equivalents, and this does not in the least hinder the player at the main instrument from playing these duplicated manuals which are being simultaneously played from the multiplexing system, should there be occasions when he might wish so to do, as might 5 easily be the case in special compositions written for the multiplexed instrument.

I90, I9I, I92 indicate portions respectively of the thirteenth key of manuals I, II, III of the main instrument. Each of the five #I3 keys of Fig. 16 is provided with two contact-bridging bars I93, I94, or ten in all. Beneath each of the bridging bars I93, I94 and co-acting therewith, are four contacts preferably silver-tipped spring wires such as indicated at I33 in Fig. 12, the 15 bridging bars just referred to being also illustrated in said figure. In order to avoid unnecessary complications of the drawings, and for the further reason that it has already been clearly shown and described in connection with Fig. 15, 20 the parallel wiring used for the pedal bass is omitted. It is to be: understood, of course, that not only the main instrument, but the two detachable consoles, will ordinarily be provided with the usual pedal bass. -'I'hree magnets I60 of the operative system are shown associated with manual I; four magnets I60 of the operative system are shown associated with manual II; while six magnets I60 of the operative system are shown associated with manual III in Fig. 16.

As already explained, each of the five keys I86, I81, I90, I9I, I92 seen in Fig. 16 closes, upon its depression, eight contacts I33, two of which in each case are joined to a wire I95 serving as a return, leaving six contacts for each key for individual uses. Each of these Six key-contacts is connected through a multiple switch I96 with one pole of a magnet I60 of the operative system as clearly shown in the figure and as will be more fully described later, the switch I96 being operated by tappet-controlled magnets, one of which is indicated at I97. A common wire I98 connects all the oppposite poles of the operative magnets I60 to the source of electric energy I72 serving the instrument.

As the detachable consoles represent manuals which operate in the same general manner as the corresponding manuals of the main instrument, it will suifice to explain the action of the main instrument. Considering first the action of key I90 controlling the thirteenth note of manual I, it will be seen that if said key is pressed under the exact conditions shown in the drawings, no tonal result will follow, since each of the multiple switches I96, I96 I96 associated with it is open. Suppose now, the player presses a tappet which through the energization. of a switch-operating magnet I91 closes a switch which causes the associated manual keys to respond with the primes associated with their pitch numbers in the scale. 60 In this case this will be the multiple switch I96 one contact pair of which is shown opposite magnet I60 of the operative system associated with manual I. Current will now fiow from the source I72 through the common wireI98 to and through 65 the coil of said magnet I60, and thence to and through the pair of contacts of Switch I96 These contacts will now be closed and the current will pass to the silver-tipped key-contact I33 thence to the bridging bar I93 which is now pressme upon it, across said bar to the left-hand silvertipped key-contact I33 and thence through wire I99 to return wire I95 and back to source I12. This completes the circuit and energizes the operative magnet I60 causing the sounder having 75 a pitch of 64.66 vibrations per second and associated with manual I, to speak. The construction and operation of the magnets I60 of the operative system, of the multiple switches I96, and of the magnets I91 controlling them, is-clearly set forth in application Serial No. 472,969, and it is deemed unnecessary to repeat these details here.

Suppose, now, that the player press a tappet belonging to manual I and serving to couple up an octave. This will immediately energize a multiple switch-operating magnet I91 resulting in the close of the pairs of contacts of the multiple switch I96 to the left of magnet I60 of the operative system. The current will then flow from source I12 by the common wire I-98 to and through the coil of magnet I60 thence to and through its associated pair of contacts in the multiple switch I'96 and to the silver-tipped'key contact I33 beneath key I90, thence via the bridging-bar I93 of said key which the player is pressing upon it, to the contact I33 of said key. Current then passes by wire I99 to the return wire I95 and back to source I12, thus completing the circuit and energizing magnet I60 as aforesaid, which results in eliciting a prime of 129.33 vibrations per second when the thirteenth key of manual I is pressed. It is obvious, of course, that if at the same time operative magnet I60 is energized, note #I3 and its octave, note #25, will simultaneously sound, and if at the same time operative magnet I60 be energized as explained, then notes I, #I3 and #25 of manual I will all sound together. In other words, manual I will be coupled both up and down. It will be noted that what has been described with regard to the lower contacts of key I90 of manual I pertains equally to the same contacts of the same key of the other two manuals shown, and need not be further adverted to in connection with them.

Considering now the upper contacts of key I of manual I, we find that the silver-tipped contact I 33 beneath the bridging bar I94 is connected through the closure of the co-acting contact pair of the multiple switch l96 with magnet Hi0 of manual III. Accordingly, as will now be readily understood without further tracing'of the wiring, when the key controlling the thirteenth note of manual I is pressed under these conditions, the sounder normallyassociated with the twenty-ninth note of manual III will speak in response to the pressure of the thirteenth key of manual I, thus eliciting by the pressure of a C-key of manual I, the note E in the octave-above associated with manual III. The next upper contact I33 of key I90 of manual I being similarly associated with magnet I I50 of the operative system associated with manual II, the

pressure of this key, when multiple switch I96 is closed, will cause the sounding of note #25 of the second manual sounders, as willbe readily seen by tracing the circuit thus completed. The third silver-tipped contact [33 0f the upper row of contacts for note #I3 of manual I, when its proper multiple switch I is closed and the key is pressed, is put into circuit with magnet I'80 of the operative system associated with manual II so that, under these conditions, operation of the thirteenth key of manual I will cause the sounding of note #32 of manual II, which will be G, a musical twelfth above'it.

Considering now the key I9I associated with the thirteenth noteof manual II, it willbe-found that its three upper contacts I33 I33 I33 associated with magnets of the operative system,

serve to elicit in the manner already described, the following notes: The first contact, I33 causes when proper conditions are supplied, the thirteenth note of manual III to sound, which is a direct coupling to the third manual. The second contact, I33 causes the thirteenth note of manual I to speak, which constitutes a direct coupling to the first manual. The third contact, I33 causes note #25 of manual III to speak, which is coupling up an octave but on another manual. Similarly, considering the upper contacts of manual III actuated by key I92, the first contact I33 causes note #29 of manual III to speak; the second contact I33 causes note #20 of said manual to speak, and the third contact I33 causes note #41 of said manual to speak.

I do not confine myself in these couplings to the various intervals set down, as it is obvious that any desirable musical intervals may be used, the octave relations being those most common, of course, in coupling both up and down. It is also obvious that the note corresponding normally to the key pressed may, in these cases of coupling, be silent or Vocal according to the will of the player shown by his use of the multiple switches worked by the tappets through the agency of the switch-rocking magnets I91.

Referring to key I86 of the detachable console normally associated with manual I, a return wire- I95 -passes through the jack-knife. switch I88 and joins wire I95, thus affording a common return for the two right-hand contacts of said key. From the left-hand lower contact I33 of key I86 a wire 200 leads to and through the jack-knife switch I88 and joins, at 29!, the lower member of the co-acting pair of multiple-switch contacts I95 associated with the contact I33 of key I90 of manual I of the main instrument. Under these conditions, the pressure of either of the keys I86 or I90 produces an identical result.

For convenience of illustration the individual contacts of the keys in the case of both the main and the detachable manuals are on the sides of the keys nearest each other and the jack-knife connectors, while the common return I95 is on the outside of the keys farthest away from said connectors. This placement, however, is merely for convenience of showing, is quite immaterial, and is only mentioned to avoid confusion which might result from attempting to trace theseoircuits on the assumption that this change had-not been made.

Suppose, now, that the multiple switch I96 is closed, and key I88 of the detachable console associated with manual I be pressed. Current will then flow from source Il2 by wire I98 to and through magnet IGII thence to and through the contacts I96 which are now .closed, thence by wire 202 to and through jack-knite connector I 88 to lower contact I33", thence tobridgingbar I93 pressing upon it, via said'bar to contact I33' and wire 203 to return wire I95 thence to wire I95 and back to source I12. This completes the circuit and energizes the operativesystem magnet I60 causing the sounderassociated normally with the twenty-fifth note of manual I of the main instrument to speak inprecisely the same way as if elicited by the pressure of the thirteenth note of manual I of the main instrument under the same coupling conditions.

In Fig. 17 the console-205 of the main instrument is seen, together with its three manuals I, II'and III, the set of pedal-keys 209, and expression-control swell-shoes .2 I0, 2,I:I, 2I2. :A

knee-swell 213 operates the tremolo for the main instrument which, by proper switching means, may at will be put upon any one or more of the manuals. Another knee-swell 2! serves as an accent or sforzando device after a manner set forth in co -pending application Serial No. 472,969. 2|5, 2|6, 2|! indicate rows of tappets associated respectively with the first, second and third manuals of the instrument. Other switching means of well-known organ utility are indicated at H8, and are used here for similar purposes. All of these parts may be of any suitable construction, and it is deemed unnecessary to describe same in detail.

Detachable consoles 2l9, 220 are associated with the first and third manuals respectively, the cables 22!, 222 connecting said consoles with the jack-knife switches I88, 189 of Fig. 16. Each of said consoles 219, 220 is preferably provided with all the tappets pertaining to its own manual that are found in the main instrument, and also with its own pedal-bass keys, two knee-swells and expression-control pedal or pedals. The magnets shown at I97 in Figs. 13 and 16 and fully described in my co-pending application, Serial No. 472,969, are operated by the tappets or their equivalents, and their circuits are paralleled in the well-known manner so as to be operable, so far as associated with the manual in question, from the consoles M9, 220 when such are in use as well as from the main instrument. This enables a player on either of the detachable consoles to do everything with regard to the manual associated with his console, that he would be able to do from the corresponding manual of the main instrument were he playing upon that.

The advantages of this system are very great, since it enables a single musician to have all possible command of a three-manual main instrument with three sets of sounders and three distinct partial-mixing systems all controllable from one console, and also permits the attainment of results never before, so far as I am aware, made possible upon a single instrument. By multiplex-,

ing this instrument through attaching to it the extra consoles, it becomes possible for three players to use it simultaneously for elaborate orchestral scores, one, for example, playing the qualities of the stringed instruments, another those of the wood-wind, and athird those of the brass instruments, while a fourth player, not operating a console, may handle the traps, thus making possible astounding orchestral effects.

In Fig. 1'7 I have shown the main instrument raised and the detachable consoles of as low a construction as possible, so that the player at the main instrument may be seen by the other operators, and act as leader. When it is considered that each manual of the instrument may be fully equipped to produce all the instrumental qualities of the orchestra, it will be seen that players of the multiplexed instrument who perhaps have been playing strings, wood-Wind and brass respectively, may at a moments notice for a tutti passage, all change to the same or any other tonal timbre, with a result which may easily be imagined by the trained musician. The possibility of several players simultaneously playing the one instrument gives opportunity for musical compositions hitherto unwritten, and symphonic efiects never before approached by any single instrument.

While my particular method of synthetic toneproduction lends itself ideally to this multiplexing extension of the possibilities of a musical instrument, I do not wish to confine myself to the multiplexing of instruments constructed upon this particular plan, for it will be evident that my general plan could be used to multiplex wind instruments of theorgan type, or any type of instrument equipped with any type of sounder capable of manipulation from a key manual other than that of the ordinary manual of the instrument commonly associated with it. An instrument of this sort having great power, it is essential that its bass resonators shall be able to vibrate considerable masses of air. In other words, the bass resonators must be of relatively large dimensions sectionally as well as longitudinally. Where compactness and cheapness are vital factors, I resort to a multiplexing of the lower sounders as already shown and described. There are several ways of doing this and I consider my invention to cover them all, but I prefer the use of separate cores and separate energizing coils as shown herein. I am of course aware that the coil surrounding a given magnet core might be wound in a plurality of sections, each one associated with the correct note of its own manual, and all energizing the same core and same sounder. however, is open to the objection that such multiple winding makes ordinarily for a low efficiency of magnetization. I have also devised other ways of multiplexing a sounder, but I do not consider any of them as good as that shown, merely mentioning them that it may not be thought that I am unaware of their existence.

It is also to be understood that in the more elaborate types of instrument not using what I have denominated a borrowing system, any sounder having a plurality of utterances at a given pitch may have certain thereof exclusively reserved for use as partials other than the prime.

This invention makes it possible to obtain from one instrument a musical result sensibly equivalent, and in some respects even superior, to that which can be produced by three such instruments without the use of this invention. It gives to each of a plurality of players separated far enough for perfect freedom of action, the command of as much of the whole instrument as he could properly use if seated within reach of all of its manuals, and it gives to the plurality of players an easily attainable musical perfection impossible to any number of players seeking to operate the main instrument directly. It is the use of one instrument to attain the musical results heretofore requiring a plurality of instruments, in a manner analogous to the use in multiplex telegraphy of one wire to produce the results otherwise requiring several wires, which I denominate multiplexing in this application. It should be borne in mind that since each separate console of the multiplexed instrument has its own expression means, it is possible for a player, seated at a single-manual multiplexed instrument constructed along the lines of this invention, to play middle C at, say one-third its volume, and while holding it down to have the second player at a separate console, cut in on the same note with a distinctly audible middle C coming from the same sounder and definitely distinct from the sound produced by the first-mentioned player, and while these two tones are sounding in unison, to have the third player cut in with the same distinctly audible note with an added volume making its inception as definite as if played on another instrument. This is brought about by the pedal resistances coming in in parallel, and so increasing the strength of the sounder magnet associated with this note. It is also possible for a second or third player at one of the singlemanual multiplexed instruments, to sound primes corresponding to keys under the very hands of the first player at the time, notes whose keys could not possibly be reached if the second and third players were seated beside the first player. It is further possible by this invention to play all the four voices through one of the single-manual instruments, whereas this would be impossible no matter how many players might be seated at the main console.

I wish also to make it clear that in a powerful instrument of the kind herein set forth, a properly worked out scale dictates, if the best results are to be attained, frequent changes in the type of sounder as the pitch of the notes served by the sounders rises, permitting the volume of the tones to be decreased according to the well known values subsisting between high and low tones. For this reason I have thought it expedient to illustrate these most desirable types, and to indicate the ranges of tone over which each may well be used, though of course I do not limit myself to the exact ranges given as the limits are naturally somewhat elastic, a few notes either way not being fatal, even if not giving the most ideal results, and I consider these various sounders an integral part of my invention.

There is still another advantage of my system of tone-production too important to be overlooked. So far as I am aware all other keyed instruments now in use are tuned in equal temperament as to their primes, and owe their timbres to these primes being associated with certain other partials which are not tuned in the same temperament and do not, therefore, produce ideally smooth results. In my system, however, all the upper partials as well as the primes of all tonal qualities are in the one temperament, thus leading to a perfection of result not otherwise attainable. As every sounder used is planned for service as a prime, and is only called upon to produce one simple tone at the one pitch, notwithstanding its use for upper partials in tones having primes below this pitch, it is possible for the first time in keyed instruments, so far as I know, to produce tones of any conceivable composition, all of whose partials are perfectly formed, chosen, and graded entirely at will, and without those limitations which have heretofore beset makers of musical instruments.

While the pulsation-producing members 48 are shown as annuli, and will preferably be made in annular or ring form, it is obvious that they may be complete disks suitably separated from one another and permanently united to form an extended rotor.

I do not confine myself to the particular manner of initiating tone herein shown, nor to this exact way of controlling tone color or timbre, as I have elsewhere shown several other ways any of which, suitably designed, might be similarly used in the system of multiplexing manuals shown herein.

No claim is herein made to an instrument producing compound tones, the partials of which are all in one temperament, nor to the special types of sounders disclosed, the same being now claimed in a divisional application, Serial No. 719,948 filed April 10, 1934, pursuant to official requirement.

What is claimed is:-

1. In a musical instrument, tone-producing instrumentalities responsive to the operation of a plurality of manuals, and means whereby said tone-producing instrumentalities may be operated at will by any or all of a plurality of players at a plurality of separate consoles.

2. In a multiplexing musical instrument, a console having one or more manuals normally associated with and serving to operate one or more sets of tone-producing instrumentalities; and an additional associated console directly connected with said tone-producing instrumentalities and operable at a distance sufficient to permit its simultaneous use by a separate player, and serving to control at will the same toneproducing instrumentalities.

3. A multiplexed musical instrument comprising, in combination, means for generating simple tones; means for combining said simple tones into complex tones of the desired pitch and quality; a plurality of consoles equipped with key-manuals, one of said consoles having a plurality of said manuals; and means for operating said keymanuals from a distance sufiicient to permit simultaneous playing of music by a plurality of performers.

4. In a musical instrument, in combination, a plurality of sets of tone-producing instrumentalities, the several sets tuned to a common scale; a plurality of consoles each equipped with a key-manual; and means for simultaneously operating each set of tone-producing instrumentalities from any of said consoles and by a different player.

5. A multiplexed musical instrument comprising, in combination, a plurality of sets of toneproducting instrumentalities, each set tuned to a musical scale; a plurality of consoles equipped with key-manuals, one of said consoles having a plurality of such manuals; means operable from each console for generating through said tone-producing instrumentalities, simple tones; means for selecting and combining said simple tones into complex tones of the pitch and quality desired; expression-control means operable from each console; and means available at will for playing said instrument from all of said consoles by a plurality of performers.

6. A multiplexed musical instrument comprising, in combination, a plurality of sets of toneproducing instrumentalities, each instrumentality capable of producing vibrations of simple waveform to be synthetically combined to produce complex vibrations resulting in tones of the desired pitch and quality; and a plurality of consoles equipped with key-manuals, to produce from a single tone-producing instrumentality the partials of all of the various compound tones having the pitch of said tone-producing instrumentality.

'7. A musical instrument operable simultaneously by a plurality of players, from a plurality of consoles placed at a plurality of locations.

8. A multiplexed musical instrument comprising, in combination, main and auxiliary consoles and a plurality of manuals; separate sets of tone-producing instrumentalities, each set directly controllable by different performers at any one or more of said consoles and all said sets simultaneously operable from the main console; accurately timed means individual to each note of the gamut of the instrument for producing components of sensibly simple wave-form to be used as elements of compound tones, at all the periodicities of the instruments range; elec-- trical means responsive to the keys of the main and auxiliary manuals of the instrument and to the tappets or stops thereof, for selecting, grading and combining said simple components into compound tones of the desired timbre; means for simultaneously playing any of said manuals at will; and expression-control means operable from each console of the instrument.

9. A multiplexed musical instrument comprising, in combination, a plurality of consoles and a plurality of manuals simultaneously playable by different performers; rotors carrying annuli; magnetic means associated with each annulus and serving to produce pulsations of predetermined periodicity; means for revolving said rotors and annuli at constant predetermined speeds, the peripheries of said annuli being formed to set up through the action of said magnetic means, rhythmic vibrations of sensibly sinusoidal waveform, thereby eliciting throughout the gamut of the instrument sensibly fundamental tones of predetermined pitch; means for simultaneously playing any or all of said manuals at will; and expression-control means operable from each console of the instrument.

10. A multiplexed musical instrument comprising, in combination, a plurality of consoles and a plurality of manuals simultaneously playable by different performers; rotors carrying annuli; magnetic means associated with each annulus and serving to produce pulsations of predetermined periodicity; means for revolving said rotors and said annuli at constant predetermined speeds, the peripheries of said annuli being formed to set up, through the action of said magnetic means rhythmic vibrations of sensibly sinusoidal wave-form, thereby eliciting throughout the gamut of the instrument sensibly fundamental tones of predetermined pitch; means for simultaneously playing any or all of said manuals at will expression-control means operable from each console of the instrument; and a plurality of tremolo mechanisms likewise operable from each of said consoles.

11. A multiplexed musical instrument comprising, in combination, main and auxiliary consoles and a plurality of manuals; separate sets of tone-producing instrumentalities associated with the main console only, but directly controllable by different performers at any one or more of said consoles, certain of said tone-producing instrumentalities being adapted to produce fundamentals of tones for which other of said instriunentaiities furnish the upper partials to be combined withsaid fundamentals to produce the desired compound tones; timed rotors carrying annuli; magnetic means associated with said annuli to produce pulsations to be translated into tone; means for combining said fundamentals and selected partials to produce the desired composite tones; means whereby different performers may simultaneously play the manuals of the main and of the auxiliary consoles; and expression-control means operable from each console of the instrument.

12. A multiplexed musical instrument comprising, in combination, main and auxiliary consoles and a plurality of manuals; separate sets of tone-producing instrumentalities, each set directly controllable by difierent performers at one or more of said consoles, each instrumentality of each set being associated with an individual note of its manual; timed rotors carrying formed annuli; magnetic means associated with each annulus and adapted therewith to produce rhythmic vibrations of a periodicity identical with that associated with the particular key of the manual with which it is in operable connection, thereby eliciting throughout the range of the instrument, sensibly fundamental tones of predetermined pitch; magnets associated with the tone-producing instrumentalities of the instrument and operable by different performers from any or all of said manuals; expression-control means for regulating the tonal output of said magnets; and a plurality of tremolo mechanisms, each operable from any manual of the instrument.

13. A multiplexed musical instrument comprising, in combination, a plurality of consoles and a plurality of manuals playable by difierent performers; separate sets of tone-producing instrumentalities associated with the main console oniy but directly controllable by any of said manuals, each set associated with a section of the gamut of the instrument individual to itself; timed rotors and magnetic means associated therewith; pulsation-producing annuli, one associated with each of said tone-producing instrumentalities and adapted through the action of said magnetic means to set up rhythmic v1- bratio-ns in said instrumentalities, thereby eliciting throughout the range of the instrument, sensibly fundamental tones of predetermined pitch; a plurality of contacts associated with each key of each manual of the instrument; magnets operable by the closure of said contacts upon depression of the proper key of any of the manuals to sound the selected tone-producing instrumentalities; switching means for operatively connecting said auxiliary consoles and said main console at the will of the performer; and means connected with each auxiliary console for playing by different performers, any or all of the toneproducing instrumentalities associated with the main console.

MELVIN L. SEVERY. 

